Anyone here have any redeeming success stories bouncing back from a Low GPA?

[medtechv79]

Hi all,

I'm just curious if anybody here has gotten into vet school with a GPA less that 3.0. That is after u have taken post bacc classes to bring it up and stuff....
I've read this kind of success stories in the non-trads and pre-med forums where ppl started out with a 2.6 GPA and took loads of classesto bring up their GPA, rocked the MCAT and got in to med school. But since vet school is so much more competitive I'd just would like to know anyone here who has gotten through or been through the same process?
Its an uphill battle for me. I have a 2.7 GPA and am taking some post bacc classes now....I know I need to get straight A's in all my classes right now (seems impossible!) but would just like some advice or some encouragement?
Thanks everyone!🙂

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[AuburnPreVet]

I think it is very much possible, but it may be a long road. I know people who have gotten in (to their in-state school) with a ~2.9 - but, do realize that the rest of their application must have been great. I think it may also depend on how you've gotten your GPA. I don't see much mention of it on here, but there has got to be some difference between a student who has a 3.0 because they have just always made B's across the board (including upper level Bios/etc), than the a student who has half A's & half C's. { I don't really know which is looked at more favorably, I assume the B's straight across but??? }.

I'd say, if you know that vet med is really what you want to do, make a plan & stick to it ... and it'll get done. At this point there is nothing you can do about grades you've made in the past, but there are things you CAN control .... 1) your current & future grades (some schools seem to be very interested in your "trend" over the last 45 credits or so), 2) animal experience (large, small, research, etc) and anything you can find to make you stand out (a good research project, etc), 3) OWN the GRE! (if you haven't already, study hard and kill the GRE. It really isn't a hard test, you just need to study & get adjusted to the format (computer screen, booooring, etc).... the math section is a cake-walk if you study hard, and verbal I found harder to prep for, but it can be done ... and can compensate (somewhat) for a less than par GPA. How much it will compensate, I think, will depend on the school - and the rest of your application.

Just remember it's not a race.
I'm sure others will have great advice for you as well... Best of luck.

 

[youthman]

For many schools the last 60 credits or so count for significantly more than the cumulative GPA. These are probably the schools you want to shoot for. Also, just take it one quarter/semester at a time, but never lose sight of the fact that you need A's, not B's. Unfortunately you (**we**) don't have as much room for error as traditional undergrads do.

 

[AuburnPreVet]

Does anyone happen to know which schools put more of an emphasis on last 45-60 credits than cum gpa? (Just wondering - although it's to late to add any schools for this cycle).

I know at Auburn CVM they calculate 4 GPAs: overall (all attemps), last 45hrs, all science, and organic/physics. All are equally weighted, and some numerical score is given. The GRE, apparently, is worth as many "points" as ONE of these 4 gpa calculations. So, in other words, the GPA counts for 4 times as much as the GRE... at Auburn... (bad news for me).

 

[HorseyVet]

Hi all,

I'm just curious if anybody here has gotten into vet school with a GPA less that 3.0. That is after u have taken post bacc classes to bring it up and stuff....
I've read this kind of success stories in the non-trads and pre-med forums where ppl started out with a 2.6 GPA and took loads of classesto bring up their GPA, rocked the MCAT and got in to med school. But since vet school is so much more competitive I'd just would like to know anyone here who has gotten through or been through the same process?

The majority of the schools will not consider your application AT ALL if it is not above a 3.0. There are some that look at a 2.8 or 2.9 and up....but yes sometimes that does mention being instate and/or writting special petitions.

Are you enrolled in a MS program or are you just taking MS classes? Have you already officially graduated from somewhere?

I took a massive amount of bio classes (and some chem) that where cross-listed as graduate classes. Like 19-24 per quarter and did very well in them. Not totally straight A's but pretty close. Some schools do want to see that you can handle harder classes and some only care about your GPA and don't care at all what it took for you to get there (easy vs. hard classes).

Another thing is that a lot of schools break up your GPA into science vs. non-science and give different weights to them.

Your plan should depend on the answers to a lot of these questions and how many schools you are able to apply to. Regardless, it's best to contact any of the schools directly and set up a meeting to go over your appliciation and ask directly for an improvement plan (know everything they say on their website first before calling!). Just remember that they will probably offer a "plan" even though you'll never have a chance without anything lower then a 3.5 total. That's just because if the application pool is always "better" then you on paper, you'll always get passed over.....even if your last 2 years are more remarkable then their enitre 4 or so.

If you plan to apply to several schools which value different enough things...it will be hard to decide how to make your plan because it's doubtful that you can make yourself look better enough for all of them. There are some schools where the best plan would be to take as many basket weaving classes as you can stomach others might look a little past the GPA (still needs to be above a 3.0 typically though) as long as you've done plenty academically to show that you can manage the material. That's going to have to be your choice based on where you live, want to go, money, etc.

Applying to more schools only increases your chances if you actaully have a chance at each school. There certainly is a school or two that I know I flat out wasted my money on.

Again, having a little more info would be helpful. I hope this gives you a place to start.

 

[youthman]

Just remember that they will probably offer a "plan" even though you'll never have a chance without anything lower then a 3.5 total.

Are you sure about that? Most schools have a minimum and it's usually lower than 3.5. My guess is if your cum GPA is above 3.0-3.2 and your last 60 credits is 3.7-4.0 then you do have a chance. Like others have said the GRE can help a lot too.

 

[HorseyVet]

Are you sure about that? Most schools have a minimum and it's usually lower than 3.5. My guess is if your cum GPA is above 3.0-3.2 and your last 60 credits is 3.7-4.0 then you do have a chance. Like others have said the GRE can help a lot too.

I'm saying that at some schools, they'll almost 100% know that without a certain GPA, you're not going to be admitted regardless....but it's not protocal to say that while they're technically supposed to be helping you....also...they can't say 100% to anything, because it will come back to haunt them (there is always someone with a relatively poor application who gets admitted b/c they know someone, etc.)......So they can't very well give you a certain "no" and then say yes to someone else. For schools that really really care about presenting a really high cum GPA as their school reputation; they're not going to take very many people with lower then their average GPA because they don't want to look easier to get into.....especially if they have ample other students with great GPAs.

The point was that I've know people who did EVERYTHING the admins told them, including some crazy hoops and never got in year after year. At those places, unless they had a certain GPA (that the applicant would have had to go to school for another 500 credits to obtain) they weren't getting in. It would have been nice if the admins just were honest. All I was saying is that some won't be nearly as upfront as you think they are being.

Some people have said the GRE can matter a lot. I think it depends on the school and their opinion of it. Also I usually don't stress it a lot to people because you can go broke taking that test a hundred times and have your studies drop significantly while you're wasting time on it (I know people who just about have done both).

 

[medtechv79]

thanks for all the replies everyone! its very helpful.

horseyvet-wow, it seems then because admins don't want to discourage u from applying b/c its not their jobs but at the same time it seems kinda hopeless to try and apply if you're GPA is subpar. I mean if they're just gonig to toss it away b/c it doesn't meet a certain GPA. You might as well forget about vet school then at that point right? do they even look at the application as a whole? (trends in improvement etc?)

I guess I was just wondering if anybody has gotten in as a nontrad student with a low GPA maybe in undergrad, but then after maybe grad school or post bacc could redeem themseleves and say they got accepted? I just was wondering b/c some of the nontrads forums say that and its so encouraging!

My stats in a nutshell: I have around a 2.6 GPA, I graduated undergrad in 2001, and have certification as a med tech. Right now I work for a veterinary lab, and am retaking Gen chem and plan to retake orgo, and do some upper level bio courses and take physics as well. I just wonder if retaking all these classes getting a 3.8-4.0 GPA in these classes would even consider me being interviewed and not being placed in the rejected pile for vet schools!

otherwise it might just seem futile to try for vet school at all and just do my backup plan which is grad school.

I just wanted to hear something from my peers as opposed to some admin at vet schools (I did call a few, VA MD being one and said for me to even be considered for an interview I would have to have straight A's in my pre-reqs and they also said since my GPA is low they will look mostly at my last 45 credit hours.) So I guess I'll keep researching schools. Oh by the way I live in the DC area.

What about Western? isn't their minimum a 2.5? I did call their admissions and I know most ppl have a 3.5 range that get accepted. So by no means am I applying with my GPA.....I just want to get a general idea on the path I need to take to get there?

Again, thanks for all the help! Sorry this is soo long and convuluted!!

 

[adenovirus]

medtech 79, Michigan state university will look very favorably on your last 45 credit hours. They are very progressive in their admissions process and don't try to pigeon-hold you to a bunch of grades (or a GRE score or whatever) from years ago...other schools should follow suit imo. MSU, I have heard anyway, is maybe going to do away with GRE tests all together because their data tells them that those scores are only predictive of how a student will do in year 1.

Good luck to you

Adeno

 

[are_jay]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but....

I graduated with my 1st Bachelors degree (computer engineering) in 2000, with a poor gpa of 2.3 (I transfered in so it was higher if combined with those grades, but that is not how transfer credit works.) Had lots of reasons for low gpa, etc. Then went to (a different) school for BS in equine science, 3.5 gpa, stuffed in 30 (semester) credits of graduate work since I spent the last 2.5 of the 5 years total 'screwing around" between application cycles (was actually gathering valuable experience). Rocked the BioGRE, and quant portion of GRE, and above average for my school on the verbal. I actually don't know what my "overall" gpa is, I had to make a spreadsheet to calculate it--never put the actual number on the app, just the most recent degree with a note in the explanation section that included gpas at each school. Two community colleges on quarter system and two universities on semester system, for a total of over 250 semester credits. Last I checked, my 3.5 only pulled up my overall gpa to around 3.0. That didn't include this past year's 4.0, but when you have 250 credits, 20 or so doesn't change it more than a hundreth or two.
Caution, here comes some rambling...
Now I am close-but-so-far-away to the end of my first semester of vet school. Out of state. Had to start looking into schools I wouldn't have considered otherwise, mostly for geographic reasons. The admissions staff here was super nice, and acted genuinely happy to have me there rather than the holier-than-thou that I got elsewhere. And I'm glad to be here.

So I wish you good luck, and remember--anything is possible if you want it bad enough!

 

[mtrl1]

If you absolutely have your heart set on vet school, and can't get into a US school, you should apply to Ross. They are in the process of becoming AVMA accredited (as far as I know), and they won't turn you away because of your GPA. You do your clinicals at a US vet school, and Cornell even has an agreement with Ross.

 

[bubbles525]

Hi medtechv79,

I had a 2.7 for both semesters my sophomore year in undergrad and struggled to improve that number for 2.5 years getting it up to a 3.29. My first application cycle I chose the wrong schools mostly. I didn't focus on schools that took a larger percent of out of state or the ones that weighed my GRE more and my GPA less. I was rejected from 5 and waitlisted at one (WesternU). I was planning on reapplying to the right spread of schools and also a few AVMA accredited forgein schools this cycle. Murdoch accepted me before the VMCAS was due and I chose to attend schools there for a lot of reasons 😀 So I'll be off to Australia come July. I'd encourage you to work on the GPA untill you have a 3.0 at least before you even think about US schools. I just think the application won't be worth your time or money at any lower.


That being said. Look at Western sooner, they took a student with a 2.6 this past year, and they look at the whole applicant. One word of warning though, have many different experiances and be as 'diverse' as possible. If you get to the interview they don't look at your GRA or GRE or essays again and if you rock it (and they told me I did when I had my re-applicant interview this summer) they then select the class based on diversity becuase of the PBL program. So since I was white, female, 22 and had mostly SA experience I was waitlisted. I was told the way to improve my application was to get as many interesting experiances as possible before decisions were made the next year.


If you are willing to look outside the US I would consider already AVMA accredited forgien schools before Ross or SGU. Most of the european schools have high GPA reqs too but some of them might be more reachable that most US schools, I'm not positive. The Oceanic schools are a good bet with a low GPA. Australia and New Zealand combined have 4 AVMA accredited schools. Accredation means that you can come home, take the NAVLE like every other North American grad and practice. No red tape or hoops to deal with. The reasons it's easier to get in with a lower GPA are numerous and have been detailed in oher threads. The short version is that the educational system is different as they take students right out of high school and further US students typically have a lot more experiance in the field. I think it's still be reaching with a 2.7 but you'd have a shot based on the rest of your apps.
Good luck. It is possible but it'll be a lot of work, time and possibly a lot of compromise.


~Marie

 

[medtechv79]

spanks (I mean thanks!) for the replies you guys!

Bubbles525- that sounds like a good idea, I'll look in to Western more and bring up my GPA as much as possible....I dunno if I can reach far for a 3.5 since my GPA is so low and I'd probably have to get another degree? just to get that GPA....so I dunno.

I'll look into foreign schools...Its just a hassle...wouldn't it be more expensive?
But I'll keep my options open.

Arejay-Congratulations on getting in! YOu're so lucky! Are u enjoying vet school? how is it?

Also, hearing about how some schools view the whole applicant is encouraging....but I know I have a long road ahead for me....thanks guys!!😀

 

[medtechv79]

sorry posted twice!

 

[HorseyVet]

horseyvet-wow, it seems then because admins don't want to discourage u from applying b/c its not their jobs but at the same time it seems kinda hopeless to try and apply if you're GPA is subpar. I mean if they're just gonig to toss it away b/c it doesn't meet a certain GPA. You might as well forget about vet school then at that point right? do they even look at the application as a whole? (trends in improvement etc?)

I've talked about this in some old posts but...

yes and no. Some places have a few points towards trends in improvement....Generally these aren't enough to bump up a student who went from two years of a less than 3.0 to two years of a 3.8+....Nor are they generally enough to bump down a student who has a 3.5+ cum, but had a 4.0 for the first (easier) two years and then dropped significantly in the next two. A lot of people (for usually reasons other than intelligence) do more poorly the first two years of undergrad....however even if they demonstrate excellence in the harder, upper division years (obviously built on the first two) there doesn't seem to be any potentially status changing way that schools evaluate this. Similar situation in the reverse. Some people do well while the classes are easier, and then go downhill in the uppers (which IMO are much more like your vet school classes).

For the schools that look at recent GPA, most of them also still consider cum in some way. Basically if compared to the application pool....their will be enough "top" people that did pretty well enough in both....so sometimes they're really not making a distinction by looking at recent scores.

hope that made some sense

 

[bubbles525]

Personally I think that foreign schools are only as much of a hassel as you make them. Corny huh😀 ? A bunch of people (thankfully not my family who are very very supportive) have asked WHY? repeatedly. My answer has been why not? I studied abroad durring my junior year and found that I learned so much not only from the classes but from living in another country. After I graduate from vet school when else am I going to be able to live in another country??? This is the adventure of a life time and I have the privlage of studying at a good school getting an education in the profession I love and not dealing with the red tape of a non-accredited school.

It's acctually not costing me more, it's costing me less. Here are the calculations I did for myself and another thread.

Murdoch tution: $33,000 AUD (from Murdoch website)

Cost of living per month from: $1,040 AUD (from vetstudents.net, though I have also seen the figure $250/week on other blogs form students at Murdoch.)

So total: $45,480 AUD

Conversion from XE.com : $35,669.37 USD this morning .78AUD to 1.00USD (11/29), it was even better in August when it was 1.00 UDS to .71USD.

I did not include travel becuase I am unsure as to how often and when I will be comming home. However I can tell you I have found a flight from LA to Perth for $910.10 USD on Air New Zeland, and you can get flights to LA from Boston (I live in MA) for about $110-150 on Airtran and a few other airlines, all one way. The round trip tickets I can find are $1,200-1,400.

Whereas the Financial Aid budget for the incomming class at Western (the only one I know off the top of my head becuase I was waitlisted there last year) is $58,000 USD (calculated tution + estimated cost of living; this figure is given to you from the school). And last year when I went to both the applicant information sesion and the interview the students said that the estimated cost of living was tight for them.

spanks (I mean thanks!) for the replies you guys!

Bubbles525- that sounds like a good idea, I'll look in to Western more and bring up my GPA as much as possible....I dunno if I can reach far for a 3.5 since my GPA is so low and I'd probably have to get another degree? just to get that GPA....so I dunno.

I'll look into foreign schools...Its just a hassle...wouldn't it be more expensive?
But I'll keep my options open.

 

[bellai]

Illinois allows you to petition to delete your undergraduate records. Either your first year of school or the entire 4 years. You would have to essentially retake your english course work, social science/humanities, chemistry, physics, and pick up biology pre-reqs. Your total semester hours Plan B would be a minimum 60 hours at the end of the Spring semester for the year in which you plan to enroll.

Admissions will have to say yay or nay to your request to delete your academic past. I think the university is trying to steer away from this option though, so get while the gettin' is good.

Also, either Glasgow or Edinburgh (or both) won't accept classwork completed if it was completed more than 6 or 7 years ago (can't remember the exact number of years). If you're going to consider paying out of state tuition, you may as well consider going abroad.

 

[Nexx]

Here's a story for you 🙂

I graduated high school in 1998 and moved to Florida to attend UF. After a 3 semesters was promptly booted for poor academic performance. How poor? I believe I left the school with either a 0.67 or 0.87 GPA.

I ran into financial issues that caused much of the above horror...but was advised by my UF "advisor" to go to the local community college, finish an AA and transfer back.

I did as she advised and started classes only to get booted from a community college of all places! So by now I was quite unhappy and still didn't have my finances straight. I took about two years off and worked to get my finances back in order. By 2002 my credit was decent again and I started up school slowly. I finally graduated with my AA in May 2005 bringing my overall GPA up to approx 2.56 (2.9 Comm Coll). Not bad.. 7 years for an AA--The movie Tommy Boy keeps coming to mind...

Anyhow, lets just say courtesy of my advisor's 'advice' I wasted my time aiming to get back at UF. So I enrolled at another 4 year Univ majoring in Business Admin/Health Care Admin while taking pre-reqs for vet school at the same Community college. I've been maintaining about a 3.5 GPA in the business program.

As for Vet School, I've been accepted to Murdoch Univ with advanced standing into the second semester of their 5 year program (I only have 4.5 years to go) and will start in July.

Pre-Req Classes/Grades
Bio 1 - A
Chem 1 - B
Genetics - A
PreCalc - B
Coll Alg - B
Statistics - C

I have taken a lot more classes than this, but these are pretty much the extent of the general pre-reqs, or classes in the pre-req sequence that I have taken on the vet school path. I'm currently in Bio 2, Chem 2, Anat & Phys and really planned on trying next year applying within the US for school after 3-4 heft semesters (currently taking 32 credits in the standard 1 class=3 credits, as I posted in another thread) while working. I have also been in the Vet industry for the past 10 years working as Kennel, reception, vet asst, technician, office manager (of sorts) in mostly small animal setting and currently at a referral hospital.

Big things that has 'helped' my case is my age, commitment to the field, huge turnaround in grades, and juggling a lot of work while maintaining those grades. Not to mention I know that I had at least one stellar recommendation from a veterinarian I used to work with who is now at Purdue and I submitted a 3 page 'letter of intent' that was not required and slipped in some explanation of my previous educational shortcomings. It also helps that Murdoch seems to favor older students and those with a bunch of veterinary experience.

Moral of the story: Never let them tell you to 'find another career', never take the advice of one person, and everything is worth the hassel if you really want it

🙂